


nobody knows that she's a lonely girl (and it's a lonely world)

by LJF



Series: we all want love/we all want honor [11]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang (Avatar) Is Confused, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Colonialism, Episode: s02e04 The Swamp, Episode: s02e06 The Blind Bandit, Feudalism, Gaoling, Gen, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Parent-Child Relationship, Separations, The Swamp, Visions, territories, very much so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:27:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26760610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LJF/pseuds/LJF
Summary: When Aang was in the swamp, he had a vision of a familiar-looking girl.......His vision led him to Gaoling, where he encountered twoverydifferent people-- with oneimportantthing in common.
Relationships: Aang & Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Aang & Toph Beifong, Lao Beifong & Toph Beifong, Poppy Beifong & Toph Beifong
Series: we all want love/we all want honor [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1936222
Comments: 23
Kudos: 285





	nobody knows that she's a lonely girl (and it's a lonely world)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [3rdgymbros](https://archiveofourown.org/users/3rdgymbros/gifts).



> Because her arranged marriage Toko + the Swamp fic, _[people we've lost (people we've loved)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19448722)_ , is super cute and was a partial inspiration for this series. (She's got a bunch of other cute Toko one-shots, including another arranged marriage fic called _[how do i love thee](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19714363)_.)
> 
> I know I've never bothered to describe what Toph wears. She's blind and doesn't really care, and you think _Zuko_ notices? (Also, unless it's really important, I don't like getting bogged down by descriptions of characters' clothing and appearances. Fanfiction is nice, because everyone already _knows_ what the characters look like.)  
> So here: While living in the palace, she probably wore fancy dresses like the one she wears at the Beifong estate (but in red). While in exile, she's likely been wearing the same sort of clothing we see her in in season 3. Right now, while she's hiding out in Yu Dao, she's probably wearing some combination of the fire clothes and her regular outfit from season 2.
> 
> Remember how I keep saying that it's important that none of these guys realize that Toph's an earthbender? Yeah, here's why.
> 
> (I apologize for my lackluster characterization of Sokka and Katara. I do love them, they're just not super-important to this series. (At least, not yet.) I'm trying.)
> 
> (Writing from the perspective of a seeing person who isn't Zuko is _so_ weird. I've just gotten so used to how he and Toph view the world, trying to write a whole Aang-centric chapter is.... odd.)
> 
> Here, to make up for the patheticness that was _I feel you driftin' away_ , I'm giving you guys the second longest chapter yet!

_"She got both feet on the ground, and she's burning it down."_

_\- Alicia Keys, "Girl on Fire"_

For the record, Aang had _told_ them the swamp was important. When the Avatar said stuff like that, people were supposed to _listen_. But Sokka and Katara had been so _insistent_ , Aang had allowed himself to go against his better judgement and ignore that persistent feeling telling him to land.

 _Bad move._ He shouldn't have even been _surprised_ by that tornado. Gyatso had trained him better than to ignore a spiritual calling like that.

And now the three of them were lost, stuck without Appa and Momo. At least they had each other.

Until they were forcibly dragged apart by _vines_.

So now he was wandering the swamp, searching for Appa, Momo, Katara, and Sokka, all while trying to figure out _why_ it was so important for him to be here. Which was when he heard the giggling.

He turned around in time to see a flash of white disappear behind a tree.

"Hello?" Aang called. There was no reply, just more laughter. He followed the sound, and spotted a little girl in a white dress. She was playing with some kind of weird animal-- it looked like a pig with wings. _That's no pigchicken......._

"Who are you?" The girl turned in his direction and waved, then ran off. Her pig _flew away_.

 _What on earth......? Pigs can't_ fly _. That's ridiculous._

"Hey! Come back!"

As he got closer, he realized that there was something _really_ familiar about the strange girl. But he didn't _think_ he'd ever met her before.

"Who are you?" Aang said again, running towards her....... and _right_ into Katara.

(Once he realized it had been a vision, he wondered if the girl was someone he'd known in a past life...... but something about that didn't feel right.)

The plantbender explained how the swamp showed people visions of people they'd loved and lost.

"What about my vision?" Aang asked. "The girl I saw....... she looked familiar, but she definitely isn't someone I loved, or lost."

"You're the Avatar, you tell me," the sage older man said.

Aang considered everything he'd learned today.

"Well, if we're all branches of the same tree...... then maybe she's a person someone _else_ has loved and lost? Or will lose?"

"Could be," the man (they really had to get his name) said, shrugging.

"But who? And why did _I_ need to see it?" He stared up into the tree, as though he might find his answer somewhere amongst the branches.

"I dunno, kid. The swamp is a mysterious place. Even if it doesn't make sense now, it'll all work out some day."

Aang nodded. That sounded like something Gyatso would say. _Today, think about what it is you can do today. Don't borrow tomorrow's troubles._

Even so, the image of that tiny girl, and the sound of her laughter, stayed with him.

After the disaster that was Chin Village and Avatar Day, Sokka decided they should look for an earthbending teacher somewhere a little more friendly.

"Ooh, how about here?" He pointed to a spot on the map that looked like it was only a day or two away.

"Gao...ling," Aang said, reading the name aloud. He shrugged. _Gaoling, huh?_ Sounded as good a place as any.

(That map had all Fire Nation colonies, territories, and other places that were friendly towards them (and therefore, not friendly towards the Avatar) clearly labeled.)

(Unfortunately, it was ten years old.)

There was something _weird_ about this place. People in town were looking at them kind of strangely, and whenever they passed a house that had people outside, the people quickly went inside and shut the door behind them.

"Do you guys get the feeling that we're being _watched_?" Katara asked nervously. Sokka considered this.

"I think she's right. Aang, what do you say we get out of here?"

But Aang wasn't listening.

"Aang?" Katara asked, as he started walking away from them, towards a large building that looked like some sort of mansion.

"Guys, this is it!" He pointed at the emblem on the gate. "That's the flying boar from my vision! I think I was _meant_ to come here. Maybe whoever lives here knows something about that girl!"

"I don't know about this, buddy," Sokka said. "Whoever lives here is probably someone important. We wouldn't want to bother them."

"Yeah, but I'm the _Avatar_ ," Aang said. He raised his hand to knock, then paused. "Actually, why don't you guys explore a little, maybe find out what's going on in this place."

"Wait, you're going in _alone_?" Katara gaped at him.

"Don't worry, Katara," Aang said. "I'll be fine. I feel like this is something I'm _meant_ to do."

"And _I_ feel like this is a crazy plan that's going to get us all killed," Sokka said, "But no, go ahead, follow some crazy sign from a swamp-induced hallucination, go right ahead."

"Thanks, Sokka!" Aang said, and knocked on the door.

"What? No that was meant to be sarcasm! Aang-"

Katara grabbed her brother's arm and dragged him away.

"Come on, Sokka. Why don't we go shopping?"

The servant who opened the gate looked up and down the street before quickly waving him inside.

"Don't just stand there, we don't want to attract any attention, come in, come in!"

Aang wrinkled his nose, but followed the tall man inside.

"Lord Beifong, you have a visitor," Aang heard the man say.

"A visitor? We don't get too many of those," a second voice said. "Who is it?"

"I'm not sure sir, I didn't get his name, I just brought him inside before anyone could make trouble."

"Very good, bring him here then."

The servant waved him into the parlor, where a kindly-looking man with a mustache sat, sipping tea.

"Greetings, young man, I am Lao Beifong," he said. "Who are you, and what brings you to my home?"

Aang paused, unsure of where to start. _I had a vision in a swamp that led me to you_ didn't sound like a very good conversation starter.

"It's good to meet you, sir," he said instead. Then he pulled off his hat, revealing his arrow. "My name is Aang, and I'm the Avatar."

He was invited to stay for lunch.

"Avatar Aang, I must admit that I don't quite understand why you decided to come to _Gaoling_ , of all places," Lao said. "it's not exactly safe for someone like you."

"What are you talking about?" Aang looked up from his rice.

"You....... don't know?" The lord looked sad. "I'm ashamed to admit that, several years ago, I agreed to an alliance with the Fire Nation. They have several soldiers stationed in town right now. If they were to discover your presence here....."

" _WHAT?!_ " Aang stared at the man. He seemed so nice. "Why would you do that?"

"At the time, there seemed like little other option," Lao said. "They were coming, the only question was whether they would burn the town to the ground or let us live in peace. I chose the decision that would allow my people to live."

Aang considered this, and then nodded.

"When people are relying on you, you do what you have to do to keep them safe," he said. "I don't like it, but I can understand where you're coming from. But if that's the case, why are you treating me so nicely? Won't you be in trouble if the Fire Nation finds out I was here?"

"I made my deal with Fire Lord Azulon, the current Fire Lord's predecessor," Lao explained. _Azulon..... why does that sound familiar?_ "I wouldn't say that he was _kinder_ than Ozai, but he was certainly more _reasonable_. We had an agreement, and he kept his word. Ozai, however, has not."

"What do you mean?" Aang asked.

"I would rather not discuss the details, but suffice it to say I entrusted Fire Lord Azulon with something important to me, and Fire Lord Ozai did _not_ take care of h- it," the older man explained, scowling. "There's nothing _I_ can do to stop him, but I am happy to help you with whatever you need. So, tell me, what brings you _here_?"

"Honestly, Lord Beifong, it's kind of a crazy story," Aang said. "I had a vision of a child, playing with a flying boar, and when I saw the sign on your gate, I thought it might have something to do with you. Do you have any kids?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Lao said. He rang a little bell, and the servant returned. "Fa, please bring Ling from the nursery."

The servant, Fa, left, and returned a few minutes later with a small child, one who looked a _lot_ like the girl in his vision. The kid was about five or six years old, with pale skin, black hair, and a face resembling that of the girl from the vision. There was just one problem.

"I'm sorry," Aang said, shaking his head, "It's not him. I don't suppose you have a daughter?"

Lao froze.

"What did you say?" He waved his hand, shooing Fa and Ling away.

"Well, your son-- Ling, did you say his name is-- looks _exactly_ like the kid I saw in my vision, except the person I saw was _definitely_ a girl," Aang said. "Maybe she's a relative? Her skin was a little paler than his, and she was wearing a white dress with a pink flower, and her eyes-"

_Her eyes._

They'd been _clouded over_.

" _Spirits_ , it was _her_ ," Aang breathed. He'd only seen her face a couple times, and never close enough to get a _good_ look at her, but now that he compared the face from his vision to the one from the boat, and the giggle he'd heard in the swamp to the laughter he'd sensed in the voice of a tiny girl wearing a mask, he could see that they were the same. "The _Blind Bandit_."

"Did you just say...... I'm sorry, I must have heard you wrong," Lao said. "I thought I heard-"

"That's what she was talking about. She was saying that she's not fire, she's _earth_ ," Aang said, his eyes continuing to widen. "Lord Beifong, do you know anything about Prince Zuko? Or do you have any blind--"

"Get out." Lao's voice was cold, but Aang could hear the _rage_ simmering underneath.

"What-"

"I welcome you into my home, at great personal risk," the man said, standing up, "And you _mock_ me by insulting the memory of my beloved daughter."

"So you _do_ have a daughter!" Aang hopped out of his seat in excitement. "Maybe it _is_ \--"

"My daughter is _dead_ ," Lao hissed. "She's _gone_ , and it's all the fault of that _prince_ and his _father_. Now, I would like you to _leave_."

"But-"

"Avatar Aang," Lao said, pointing to the door, "If you are not out of this house _this instant_ , I will have Fa call for those soldiers I mentioned were stationed in town."

* * *

What neither of them realized was that someone else was listening to their conversation.

(Ling Beifong may not have been an earthbender, but that didn't make him useless. As soon as he heard his father order their guest to leave, he _ran_ out the back door and snuck out through the garden gate.)

* * *

As soon as Aang walked out of the front gate, Katara and Sokka were on top of him.

"Aang, we gotta go, this place is _swarming_ with Fire Nation soldiers," Sokka said.

"I heard," Aang said, looking back at the mansion sadly.

"Did you figure out what your vision meant?" Katara asked as they hurriedly walked through town, trying not to attract too much attention.

("Stupid, outdated map," Sokka muttered.)

"Yeah, I think so," Aang said. "But I don't think I was able to do much. Lord Beifong didn't seem interested in listening to what I had to say."

"At least you tried," Katara said. "You can't help everyone, Aang. I'm sorry."

"I know," he said, sighing.

_What happened here? Why is Lao so convinced that his daughter is dead?_

* * *

They'd reached the edge of town. and were approaching the area they'd hidden Appa, when a pale-skinned woman in fancy clothing ran up to them.

"Stop!"

Katara reached for her waterskin, but Aang shook his head. 

"Wait," he said, and she lowered her hand.

"Who are you?" Aang asked.

"My name is Poppy," the woman said. "I'm Ling's mother."

"Oh!" Katara didn't recognize either of those names, but they clearly meant something to Aang.

"My son-- Ling, he said," Poppy huffed, clearly out of breath from running after them. "He said he heard you telling Lao that you knew something about Toph--"

"Toph?" Aang asked, looking confused.

"My daughter," Poppy said. "Please, do you know what happened to her?"

"I'm not sure," Aang replied. "The last time I saw her--"

"You _saw_ her?" Poppy's eyes widened, brimming with tears. "You mean, she's _alive_? Do you know where she is? Please, if you know something, tell me."

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen her in months," Aang said. "I don't have any idea where she might be now."

"But you _did_ see her?" Poppy asked. At Aang's nod, she let out a sigh of relief, and tears began rolling down her cheeks. "Thank you, Avatar. You can't understand what that means to me."

"I think I have some idea," Aang said, smiling sadly, and Katara thought of all the people he'd lost, people he _knew_ he'd never see again.

"If you don't mind, could you tell me where you last saw her?" Poppy begged.

"It was a few months ago, up north, near Taku, but I don't think she's there anymore," Aang's smile turned mischievous. "She saved my life."

"Really?" Poppy said, wiping her eyes, as her brow furrowed in disbelief.

"I swear on Kyoshi's name," Aang said. "If not for her, I would not be here now."

When they were finally able to leave, Aang promising a grateful Poppy that he would try to send her a message if he saw her daughter again, Sokka and Katara were quiet for a long time.

"Aang," she said, finally, "Did you really see that woman's daughter? This isn't like the Zhangs and the Gan Jins, is it?"

"Of course not," Aang replied. "It was the girl from my vision. I finally remembered when I'd seen her before."

"And when was that?" Katara asked.

"Like I told Poppy," Aang turned to look at her, his face framed by the light of the setting sun, "she saved my life."

_"They can see the flame that's in her eyes."_

_\- Alicia Keys, "Girl on Fire"_

**Author's Note:**

> Originally, I was going to have Aang see and recognize her in the Swamp, (and just, generally have a bunch of stuff about the swamp scenes be different than we see here), but I thought this way would be more interesting, so instead, he saw a vision of tiny, "pre-Zuko and the Fire Nation" version of Toph.  
> No, Aang _still_ doesn't know she's an earthbender. We all know he can be kind of slow. (He's a twelve year old boy, it comes with the territory.) So....... keep that in mind.
> 
> Let me explain what's happened to Gaoling in this universe. (Please note that I'm not in any way an expert on geo-politics. I'm doing my best here.) Lao and Azulon made a contractual _alliance_ , which the betrothal was part of. Gaoling is _not_ a colony. The primary residents are the Earth citizens, and Lao is still in charge (on paper). However, they _do_ have the status of an _occupied territory_ , kind of like Haru's village. The Fire Nation maintains a military presence, and while earthbending isn't exactly _illegal_ , earthbenders have been known to...... _disappear_ from their homes in the middle of the night. (And, obviously, they don't have an Earth Rumble.) All in all, not a very fun place to live. (It wasn't always quite this bad, but things kind of devolved after Ozai became Fire Lord, because anyone of reasonable intelligence who pays attention to his behavior in the show knows that he's lowkey an incompetent buffoon with zero leadership abilities.)  
> Poppy never liked this whole arrangement. A _big_ part of Lao's justification for the deal was things he'd heard about _Ursa_. When the news came that Azulon was dead, and _Ozai_ (and not _Iroh_ ) was the new Fire Lord-- with _zero_ mention of his consort, she absolutely _lost_ it. And when, after months of waiting, they didn't get _any_ news about their daughter, they assumed that she was dead. At which point Poppy was like "You _sent my daughter off to die_ " and they separated. (Not sure if they're actually divorced or not. I might come back back to that later.) (Originally, I was going to have Lao be remarried, and Ling be his kid with wife number two, but I couldn't get that timeline to work, so instead they share custody.)
> 
> Now, why did I give them another kid? In the show, it never made sense to me that Toph was an only child. Like, maybe they were worried about having another blind child, but still. They're a noble family. They need someone to carry on the line. (Especially in my headcanon that Lao isn't just a noble, but the lord of the region, the way Bumi's in charge of Omashu.) Considering that we don't really see any sort of male/female defined gender roles in the Earth Kingdom, that leaves them with three options:  
> A) Leave the title to Toph. Considering that they think she's a helpless little blind girl and have hidden her existence from the world, this seems unlikely.  
> B) Adopt an heir. This happens sometimes in Asian families. (Again, not an expert, just knowledge I've gathered via osmosis and cursory research.) The simplest (though not only) way to do this, would be to have someone marry _into_ their family and take on their name-- namely, marry _Toph_. Which, again, seems unlikely for the reasons listed above. (What was their plan? "Here's this secret daughter we never told anybody about (that's not suspicious at all) and her new husband, who we're adopting as our heir?")  
> C) Have more kids.  
> Since a and b obviously weren't happening in this universe (well, I suppose they could have adopted someone without having him/her marry into the line, but it's not as simple), I decided to give them another kid. Ling is six, he was born not long before Azulon's death, so the news didn't have a chance to reach Toph before she was put under house arrest. (Which means Toph has _absolutely no idea_ that she has a younger sibling. We'll come back to this later.)
> 
> Watching the show and reading the comics, I didn't get the impression that Lao is necessarily a _bad guy_. He makes some horrible decisions, and he's not winning father of the year, but he's not a horrible _person_ , so I tried to show that here. In this universe, he's a man with a lot of responsibilities who _tried_ to do the best with the information he had. Which has left him in a horrible position-- his daughter is dead (or so he thinks), his wife left him, and his people are being terrorized by the very people he'd believed would help them. He's no hero, but he's _human_. He's _trying_.
> 
> As always, find me on [tumblr](https://ljf613.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
